the making of the book

Hey gang – I hope that you are enjoying my book as much as I loved writing it! The Kind Diet is the first book I’ve ever written and it was an amazingly fun first experience. For years I’ve had so much information at my fingertips and had done tons of research but never had an outlet for it. It is great to finally be able to share this with you and to put all of my thoughts and ideas in one place that is in a nice, organized fashion!

Never before had I felt so inspired. Every time I sat down to work on the book, I would become more and more excited about the material. Even with crazy deadlines it was an extraordinary and therapeutic process that made my heart feel good!

Life was becoming pretty hectic around the time I started working on this book. Not only was I writing full time, I was acting in a play and taking care of my doggie and best friend of 16 years, Sampson, who died during the writing process. My plate was becoming quite full and I was so focused on turning out great material that I would often forget to take care of myself. But every time I felt overwhelmed, I would just remember how important this book was to me, and how inspired I was by writing it and I just couldn’t wait to share it with you.

The details of this book were hugely significant to me from every single word (which I reviewed over and over again), to finding the remarkable photographer Victoria Pearson, to choosing and photographing the recipes. Who would have thought photographing food would be such a process? Does it look good on this plate? Does it look oozy enough? You get the idea. And as you can see, the photos really brought the book to life. I’m so delighted with the final product. In fact, I feel like I had a baby and I want to show her off to everyone! I can’t wait for everyone to discover The Kind Diet. I know that this way of life is going to make so many people happy and healthy and that really excites me!

Last week my publishers sent me a copy of the completed book and I finally got to see the finished product, printed and bound! I will never forget when I first opened the envelope. I was running out of the house to a meeting and as I sat in my car, I opened the Fed Ex envelope and saw it staring back at me. Seeing the finished book for the first time was such an incredible moment. I was beyond thrilled and the feeling of flipping through the pages was truly indescribable. I had dedicated a year and a half to working on the book so to have it in my hands, in the flesh, was truly exhilarating. My editor, Pam Krauss, had included a personal note with the book, which really took that moment to another level. Pam had supported me throughout the entire process, and let me know in her note that she encouraged me to enjoy and savor this very moment. That moment felt soooo good, and it still does. I was, and still am, so deeply happy and proud.